Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas fabulocity

Christmas this year was simply amazing. We went to St. Louis to have an early Christmas with my family which actually went very well. Except for the part where I developed Mastitis at a record speed but the rest was great! The next Friday, we had Christmas with Jason's family in Jeff City and that also went well. Jason was talking to his older brother, Mike, on the phone yesterday about how absolutely remarkable it is that both family gatherings went really well... it was a Christmas miracle ;) lol. Christmas day was the BEST!!!

I had been plotting gifts for months and was sooo darn excited to finally be able to give them to my family. I (well, technically Santa) hand made a felt tool set for David and a felt tool set for Ainzley - they turned out even better than I expected! Jason got some clothes (he has decided he wants to wear more button up shirts and polos), expansion packs for one of his favorite card type games, a board game (Settlers of Catan), a video game and few other things that I just can't remember at the moment. Ainzley got a lot of clothes and a winter coat for next year. She got a couple small toys but David had so many toys that she's pretty well stocked already. I got a couple cook books, attachments for my kitchenaid mixer, some movies, a willow tree statue, a giant reese's pb cup, and the complete Harry Potter DVD collection. David's gifts were some of my favorite. He got a Tag reading system, a couple shirts, a kids digital camera and a BIKE!!!! That boy has been begging for a bike for as long as I can remember so now he has one :) He was so darn excited for that bike :):):):):):):):):)

We just lounged around all day in our Christmas PJ's. I made a really good Christmas dinner. We had ham, steamed veggies, baked sweet potatoes, homemade bread and apple pie for dessert. After the kids went to bed, Jason and I played Settlers of Catan - it was pretty fun!

Christmas has always been exciting to me but this year was the closest to perfect it's ever been. I put a lot of thought and time into all the gifts I gave and everyone enjoyed what they were given. This year was the first year that David was actually asking for certain things and to be able to see him open the presents and find what he had been asking for was the absolute best.

This year has been a roller coaster for us. We welcomed the sweetest little baby girl into our family, got a promotion, bought a house, worked like crazy on the house, started nursing school, watched our kids grow, set goals, accomplished goals and planned our future. We have been blessed beyond what we could have imagined. We are so thankful for the knowledge we have of our Savior Jesus Christ, our mission here on earth and of the eternal family. 2011 has been simply amazing. We hope we can continue to follow the example of the Savior and see the good in every situation. We hope you all have had a terrific year and look forward to making memories with you all :)

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Wow it's been awhile since I've posted but it's been pretty crazy lately!

Jason's done with school for the semester (and I will be too after tomorrow!!!) and we've been working our BUTTS off on the house! My favorite thing we've been working on is the guest room/office. We bought a desk, filing cabinet and book shelf to go in here and it's awesome! The only thing missing is the mattress (the bed frame is set up and waiting for it!). We've finished the painting, been doing some long-term decorating and have been decorating for Christmas. Our gifts are wrapped and under the tree though I have two more I'm making for the kids which could turn into four, lol.

David is HILARIOUS!!! Oh man, that little boy makes me laugh so hard everyday. He is always so darn excited to see Ainzley every morning. Yesterday we were driving around listening to Aindy Williams' Christmas CD (Jason's favorite) and David was singing along - he even knew the right words! He is JUST like his Daddy and loves Christmas so much! He always begs me to turn on the Christmas lights first thing in the morning and it is torture for him to have to wait until it's dark out. He is my little helper around the house. He wants to help me do everything and loves to watch me cook. He is just the funnest, cutest little boy!

Ainzley is growing sooo much! She's so stinking cute, too (of course ;) ). She has so many methods of movement! She will get up on all fours and scootch herself where ever she wants to go... backwards, lol. She'll do the same thing on her tushie. To go forward, she'll sit on her bum and use her legs to move - she's so funny! I'd love to say I think she'll be crawling by the end of the week, but she seems pretty content in her own ways. She just had a dr's appointment the other day and weighs 19lbs and a few ounces and was 28 inches tall. She also has SIX teeth all of which have appeared since September. It's making nursing a challenge since she's a lazy latcher but only 3 more months until we reach our 12 month goal so I'm going to stick it out :)

Jason and I are doing great. He's still working and I'm still raising the kiddos. We are loving our house more and more (if that's even possible!). We had our annual Christmas party last Sunday and it was a blast! We had so much room to do stuff and the kids were all playing upstairs doing their own thing. It was WONDERFUL! We had about 20 people there and could have easily doubled that and still have been comfortable. Transitioning from 1200 sq ft to 2700 sq ft has been challenging in some aspects but totally worth it as far as having guests over. We don't miss our apartment :) Anyway, back to the party. Like I said, it was awesome. We got to just socialize and snack before we decided to play Mafia. We were a LOUD bunch and a competitive one but it was great.

There's not a whole lot else going on. We're getting excited for Christmas and to see family again. I haven't seen my family since............ oh yeah, October but even then it was their pig roast so they were busy doing things and there wasn't much time to talk or anything. Anyway, I am so excited for one gift in particular and that is the bike we got for David. He has been begging for a bike for as long as I can remember - he even prays for one when we have family prayer at night! I bought him one at WalMart on Black Friday and am so excited to give it to him!!!! We didn't get him many toys this year because he has so many to begin with but also because whatever else we get him will be completely overshadowed by the bike so a few little things, some clothes and a bike. It will be awesome. Ainzley is getting mainly clothes and Jason is getting, well, I can't say here in case he randomly decides to check the blog (HA!) but he's getting some pretty great things, too.
Throughout my late adolescense and adulthood, I have had many positions (professionally and volunteer basis) that have helped me develop skills necessary to serve as a liaison to the community on behalf of a professional organization. I have spent many years in various organizations which have helped me grow skills such as public speaking, note taking, and scheduling. I am proficient in organization and mediation – always keeping the mindset of finding middle ground and while meeting the needs of those involved. I excel in the area of community outreach and thrive in situations where I am given reign to be creative and managerial. I am committed to achieving the best outcome and feel I have many fantastic qualities to contribute to any organization.